Addiction recovery takes time. And each person’s path is unique and different. But one thing most addicts have in common? Low self-esteem.

Addiction Blog has met up with John Myers and Corey Wesley, from Urban FLRT, to talk more about affirmations and how positive thinking can influence our lives. They are trying to change lives, one affirmation at a time by spreading good vibes through motivational apparel and accessories. We welcome your questions or comments about how to use affirmations in recovery, how to define what is addiction recovery or your personal tips for addiction recovery at the end.ADDICTION BLOG: Hi, John and Corey. Tell us a little bit about how affirmations work in the brain. And why positive affirmations are so important in addiction recovery.In my own experience, I used affirmations in my own early recovery after following suggestions given to me by my sponsor. In fact, I wrote ten (10) Post-It notes and stuck them up all over my house. I remember feeling a boost to my self-esteem. It was really the beginning of starting to like myself again. Why and how do affirmations work?URBAN FLRT: Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this with you. We believe that affirmations can help define our focus and they help develop new thought and behavior patterns that will move us in the direction we wish to go in life. Unfortunately, our minds tend to wander and we are often overcome by negative thoughts that prevent us from pursing a better path. Through affirmations, we define what and who we are and we define our focus. Our thoughts and behaviors begin to follow.ADDICTION BLOG: What are some of the most important affirmations for people in recovery? Can you list the Top 10 for us?URBAN FLRT: It’s difficult to develop a Top 10 list because the same affirmations may not work for everyone. Affirmations must be personal to the individual so each individual will have their own Top 10 list. You must be connected to and have a desire to develop new patterns in your life in order to benefit from affirmations. A few of the affirmations we’ve been working with at Urban FLRT are:

Freely Living Real & True

I Care, I Believe, I Celebrate

Live & Be Free, Real, True

I am where I am

I love myself

Corey found our signature affirmation, Freely Living Real & True, to be successful in his life. Freely represents the fact that you are making a decision of your own free will. You are Living for a better life and you are being an active participant in your life. By being Real & True, you are acknowledging where you are in your life and you are being truthful and open with yourself and others about the direction you are taking in your life.ADDICTION BLOG: What are some funny or more popular affirmations that you’re exploring at Urban FLRT? How can humor help us in addiction recovery?URBAN FLRT:Humor is important in life, not just in recovery. We believe it’s healthy to have light-hearted moments to break up the very intense issues that you have to deal with sometimes. The fact that we’re using the acronym FLRT helps create some light-heartedness.ADDICTION BLOG: We view relapse as a part of recovery. What kinds of affirmations can people who’ve been through relapse use?URBAN FLRT: We believe that those who’ve been through relapse need to be supported and encouraged on the path to recovery. Freely Living Real & True could be especially helpful. Recovery is a process that takes time. Being real about a relapse is also being truthful that there may be setbacks along the way. We also found this quote to be quite motivational: “Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.”- Abraham LincolnADDICTION BLOG: What is your hope for people (young and old) coming into addiction recovery? Do you have any words of wisdom for people coming into recovery for the first time?URBAN FLRT: Don’t let stigma or the term recovery hinder you from striving for your goals. Understand that it is a life-long class that creates more opportunities to flex the strength to get up and keep striving for better.ADDICTION BLOG: Do you have anything else to add?URBAN FLRT: Affirmations are a tool that can be used in anyone’s life to help improve their patterns of thinking and behaving. Corey, our co-founder, who is a New York State trained Recovery Coach successfully used our Freely Living Real & True affirmation and we hope that others will connect to it and find it useful.Photo credit: Urban FLRT